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Monarchs of Stolz
The Monarchs of Stolz 'are the legal rulers and heads of state of the Kingdom of Stolz. The Monarchs are appointed by God to rule the state. Here you will find a comprehensive history of each monarch. 11th Century '''The Kingdom of Stolz '''was created in 1056 as the '''Duchy of Stolz '''originally. In the period of minority of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Agnes of Poitou ruled the Empire as regent. The Habsburg Frederick of Baden, a friend to the regent, was gifted lands surrounding Baden as ordered by the regent. With this new territory, Frederick formed the Duchy of Stolz with Agnes' support. The Duchy eventually expanded within the Empire, growing later to form the Kingdom of Stolz and gaining an Electoral Vote. ''House of Habsburg '''Frederick I ''"the Pious" ''(1056 - 1072) Frederick I, a Habsburg ruler of Baden originally, formed the Duchy of Stolz with the support of Agnes of Poitou, regent to the young emperor Henry IV. Frederick, throughout his life, was an ambitious ruler. He strived for grandeur in all things and for his life and realm to be rich and prosperous. His reign, however, would be anything but this. The Duchy of Stolz had been created from lands gifted to Frederick by Agnes of Poitou, at the expense of his neighbours. Many citizens of these lands wished to rejoin their home countries. Revolts sprung up within the Duchy, they were quashed, however with difficulty. Frederick was a militaristic ruler, with less focus on bureaucracy and government and more on building up his army. Frederick married Anne of Burgundy in 1052, and they had 16 children. 8 of which died young. Frederick was succeeded by his youngest son, Henry Henry I ''"the Grand" ''(1072 - 1106) Henry I became Duke of Stolz after the death of his father, Frederick I. His mother, Anne of Burgundy, ruled as regent during his minority, his father dying when he was just four years old. The regency of Anne of Burgundy was a bloody time. Anne was heavily influenced by the church, being a very pious woman. Anne would slaughter people in bunches if they so much as questioned the rights of the church. When Henry came of age and took the throne, his first action was to establish a ministerial council of advisors to the Duke. This council however, was mostly symbolic and for advisory purposes, as the Duke himself still held the true power within the Stolz. Henry married Elisabeth of Saxony in 1106, he would die before their first child was born. The succession of Henry I became a much debated topic, especially since the now Duchess Dowager Elisabeth was still pregnant with their child. It was decreed that Elisabeth would rule as regent until the birth of their child. 12th Century House of Habsburg Frederick II ''"the Posthumous" ''(1106 - 1106) At birth, Frederick II was immediately made Duke of Stolz due to the posthumous death of his father, Henry I. The child was sickly and was consistently seen by physicians of the age. It was noted that the child was also deformed, apparently due to complications with the birth. Most courtiers believed that the child was not long for this world, and their concerns turned out to be correct. Frederick II "the Posthumous" ''died three months after his birth. The topic of succession became a concern, however, the line of succession backed up to Frederick I, whose second son had also produced a child, who had a child of his own. The throne went to him after Frederick's death. '''Otto I ''"the Young" (1106 - 1129)' Otto I became Duke of Stolz in 1106 following the deaths of both Henry I and Frederick II. Frederick II, a sickly and deformed child, had little hopes of living. The throne was give to Otto after the young boy's death. Otto, aged 13 on his succession, was given a huge task for someone of his age. Otto's education had also not been up to a high standard, with little knowledge in the way of government and ruling a state. However, Otto did have one speciality; military strategy. Otto was the first ruler of Stolz to be elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1115. He also reformed the Duchy of Stolz into the Kingdom of Stolz, and expanded the new Kingdom's borders further. Otto married Johanna of Saxony in 1114, with whom he'd have 8 children. He'd be succeeded by his eldest son, Johann. '''Johann I reign (1129 - 1130)' Johann I became King in 1129 following the death of his father, Charles I. However, he would be dethroned and usurped just a year into his rule. Johann I, however, was elected Holy Roman Emperor and despite his Kingdom being usurped, he was still seen as the rightful Holy Roman Emperor. House of Burgundy Louis I ''"the Usurper" ''(1130 - 1132) Louis the Usurper overthrew the rightful King, Johann I, and sent him into exile. However, the neighbours of the Kingdom did not like this usurpation. Saxony especially, with whom the Habsburg monarchs of Stolz had an alliance with, were upset with this. The exiled Habsburgs and Johann I fled to Saxony, urging the Duke of Saxony to declare war upon Stolz. Citizens of the Kingdom also highly disliked Louis I, who was a ruthless dictator within the Kingdom, executing many thousands of people on mostly trumped up charges. A revolution in 1132 overthrew Louis the Usurper and re-established the Habsburg monarchy. Louis the Usurper did not marry, but he was executed by Johann I after his overthrow and re-succeeded by him. House of Habsburg Johann I "the Great" (1132 - 1140) Johann I reclaimed his throne as King of Stolz in 1132 after he personally marched into Stolz with assistance from the Saxon army and having Louis the Usurper's army, which was once his own, defect back to him. He marched into the capital Baden-Baden with no resistance, as peasant militias hired by Louis the Usurper defected to Johann. Louis the Usurper held stronghold in the Hohenbaden Castle, with the most loyal of his courtiers. The armies of Johann I were sieging down Hohenbaden and when they broke through the walls, they dragged Louis the Usurper naked through the streets by his feet. They then cut off his limbs one by one, before hanging him and then beheading them. Johann I was also Holy Roman Emperor, and expanded the borders significantly. Johann I married Maria of France in 1127, they'd have only daughters. This succession was a predicament, but Johann I changed laws so that his eldest daughter may inherit. This would however, meet further problems. Queen Maria I and King Francis I (1140 - 1172) Queen Maria I succeeded to the throne after the death of her father, Johann the Great, as she had no brothers. This succession was a predicament for the nation, as the High Nobility did not like the idea of a woman ruling alone in the early medieval period. As such, they demanded that Maria sign a document which would share her powers with her husband, Francis. Maria I married Francis of Provence in 1137, they'd have 10 children and would be succeeded by their eldest son, Augustus. They'd rule the nation together until Maria's death, though Francis largely influenced his wife. King Augustus I "the Great" (1172 - 1202) Augustus I succeeded his parents to the throne of Stolz following the death of his mother, Maria I. There was a dilemma on what the title of King Francis would be now that Maria had passed. It was decided that Francis would simply take on the title of Grand Prince of the Kingdom. Augustus I was a great man of war, in sharp contrast with his mother and father, who preferred diplomatic and peaceful expansion. Augustus I, throughout his reign, declared glorious wars and began to expand his borders at the expense of his neighbours. However, a disastrous war was declared upon Stolz by the neighbouring French Kingdom. Stolz lost some of their western territories to the French King, though this would be made up for in their expansion to the east. Augustus I married Charlotte of Saxony in 1170. She would, however, die in childbirth, giving birth to a stillborn son. Augustus never remarried, and would spark the war of the Stolzian succession. 13th Century - Century of Conflict War of the Stolzian Succession (1202 - 1213) - Interregnum Following the death of the childless Augustus I, a civil war exploded within Stolz regarding the succession. By this time, many generations of Stolzian Habsburgs had created different branches of the house. Francis of Habsburg, a cousin of the late Augustus I, was originally intended to inherit. However, his claim was boycotted by Anton of Habsburg, who was also a cousin of Augustus I. Ten years of in-fighting and conflict, as well as the state practically collapsing with nobody definitively ruling it ensued. The War of the Stolzian Succession was arguably one of the bloodiest civil wars within Stolz, resulting in a great loss of life. The victor was Francis, who had larger numbers, and personally beheaded Anton after the Battle of Linz. House of Habsburg King Francis II "the Short" (1213 - 1232) King Francis II, the victor of the War of the Stolzian Succession, took the throne after a ten year interregnum in which the state had fallen into chaos. The treasury was empty, as well as trade lines and supply routes severed. Many cities were in crisis, with poor harvests also plaguing the land. Francis II was an infirm ruler, which made the problems within the state worse, to a point where the state in itself was at breaking point. Unrest continued to brew in the capital for many years. One of the main people behind this unrest was Francis' brother, Otto. Otto had gone rogue from the court after a large disagreement between Francis and himself. Otto, known for his deceit and persuasive tactics, managed to stir up peasants within the capital and outside in the countrysides to join his rebel movement. Otto eventually, undercover, had the Royal Army agree to defect to him when he re-entered the capital. Otto entered the capital, with the army defecting to him. Overpowered, the weakened Francis II abdicated his throne and went into exile. King Otto II ''"the Deceitful" ''(1232 - 1253) Otto II became King of Stolz after he deposed Francis II. Not much happened during Otto's reign, though it is notable that he stabilised the realm after years of unrest. He also fought little wars against small Italian states. He earned his name after he tricked the French King into an agreement which was heavily in Stolz's favour. Otto II married Maria of Habsburg in 1236, with whom he'd have 8 children. This marriage marked some of the first time that incest was involved with the Habsburg line. King Ferdinand I (1253 - 1260) Ferdinand I did not have a long reign, reigning for the better half of seven years. However, his short reign was the subject of many violent revolts across the Kingdom, very anti-monarchist as ideas began to spread about freedom of speech and political freedoms, which a revolutionary, known only as "Herr O." ''(widely believed to have been born Otto von Stuttgart, in 1221) was spreading these ideas. The Stolzian Army was able to supress revolts for quite some time. Ferdinand I used unorthodox methods to put down rebellion, using the tactic of agreeing with their demands in public, but then never actually doing anything to implement their demands and eventually silencing the rebellion through use of force and arms. Otherwise, Ferdinand I was known for the artistic and cultural development in Stolz during his reign. Ferdinand I never married, and thus never had any children. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Otto. '''King Otto III ''"the Benevolent" ''(1260 - 1304)' =